Fake Sweepstakes, Fake Government Officials, Real Prison: The Costa Rica Call Center Case Ends With 15 Years for Its Leader

And at the end, the guy who taught people how to lie on the phone got more than 15 years in prison.

So what happened?

On July 15, 2025, Roger Roger, 41, of Costa Rica, was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for leading a telemarketing scheme run from a call center in Costa Rica. He was also ordered to pay more than $3.3 million in restitution and forfeit more than $4.2 million. A jury had convicted him in September 2024 in the Western District of North Carolina. The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the sentence.

Here's the pitch, according to the DOJ:

• Callers falsely posed as U.S. government officials.
• They told victims, many of them elderly, that they'd won a big "sweepstakes" prize.
• Then came the catch: a series of upfront payments for taxes, customs duties and other fees.
• If a victim paid, the callers came back for more. A "clerical error." A bigger prize. More fees.

They used Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to make it look like they were calling from Washington, D.C., and other U.S. locations. And Roger recruited people and taught them how to mislead victims on the phone, the DOJ said. Prosecutors say the scheme stole more than $4 million from hundreds of victims.

How the case built up

• October 2018: Seven U.S. citizens, including Roger, were charged in a 20-count indictment. Prosecutors said victims who didn't want to send money to Costa Rica sent it to people in the U.S., who forwarded it for a cut.
• July 2021: A jury convicted Manuel Chavez and Mark Oman. Chavez funneled victims' payments to Costa Rica. Oman worked the phones and collected money in Costa Rica.
• Late 2022 to early 2023: Oman got three years and one month. Paul Andy Stiep, who also moved payments, got seven years. Chavez got 133 months.
• 2025: Roger got more than 15 years.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted an investigation.

Here's the thing ...

Look at the technology: VoIP to fake a D.C. caller ID. That's spoofing a location to look official. And pretending to be the government on top of it.

If your caller ID strategy is "make it look like we're somewhere we're not," you're borrowing a page from a playbook that ended in federal prison. Read that again.

Why should you care?

Those who "just moved the money" got years too. Chavez got more than 11 years. If you think being one step removed from the phone keeps you safe, it doesn't.

What to do this week

• Use caller ID you own and that tells the truth about who you are.
• Never imply a government connection.
• Never ask for money to release a prize.
• Know who you're paying and who's paying you.

It's not rocket science. Honest caller ID, honest pitch, honest money. That's it.